Stealing Beauty

Synopsis

[Sweet on the outside, dark and unhinged war god x sweet, gentle healer who can be both sweet and sassy]

Mei Zun is the youngest daughter of the He family, a family of physicians in the Southern Kingdom. Clever and charming from childhood, she was engaged to the youngest son of the Wen family, her childhood sweetheart. Her life seemed set on an easy path, until she rescued a stranger on the road and was kidnapped to the Northern Dynasty, where she vanished without a trace.

Lou Su, the Prince of Yecheng in the Northern Dynasty, had fought across four kingdoms since he was young and had never lost or met his match. The Northern Dynasty's military and political power lay in his hands.

Equally skilled in letters and arms, and distinguished by his military achievements, he was the first prince to be granted a fief. At court, he supported the ailing crown prince's rise to power and helped review memorials, holding the reins of state. In the army, he held the Tiger Tally, commanded forces throughout the land, and trained the Imperial Guards.

He was, without a doubt, the most powerful man at court.

On the surface, Lou Su was a cool and noble prince, the picture of brotherly devotion. In truth, he was ruthless and decisive, with ambitions he kept hidden from everyone.

Whatever he wanted, he always got.

Even if he had to take it by force.

The people of the Northern Dynasty all knew that Lou Su, Prince of Yecheng, was exceptionally handsome and distinguished, the most beautiful man in the Northern Dynasty. Many young ladies spent their days at teahouses, listening to stories about him.

While those women were still pouring their hearts out to their beloved through books and paintings, people on the street saw the Prince of Yecheng, beautiful as jade, riding by in a vermilion brocade robe with a young woman in his arms. The morning sun shone warmly, light flowing over his robes. His eyes were lowered, dark as polished obsidian.

He paid no attention to the onlookers. He simply gazed at Mei Zun in his arms. A breeze passed, and he leaned close to her neck, his faint breath brushing her skin. His Adam's apple bobbed silently. "Next time you run, be smarter. This is the main road back to the Southern Kingdom."

When her kingdom fell, in an enemy tent, Lou Su gently stroked her hair and kissed away her tears. His gaze dropped to her swollen belly, his eyes filled with boundless hatred, making her shudder.

"Drink this medicine, and I'll let the past go."

He picked up the medicine beside him and brought it to Mei Zun's lips. "You have thirty-six members of the He family and this child to consider. I think the choice is clear."

Mei Zun's eyes were red, her face deathly pale. She clutched the only child her husband had left her, instinctively shrinking back as she said in a trembling voice, "My child is innocent."

"And mine isn't?" A chill gathered between Lou Su's brows, his stern face darkening. His hand tightened around her waist, almost crushing it.

"If you hadn't abandoned me on our wedding day, I would have treasured you and our child. This bastard would never have existed."

"If you hadn't forced yourself on me, I never would have conceived that child." Mei Zun tried to escape, but he held her tightly in his arms.

"That's right. No matter how good I was to you, you never remembered." Lou Su gave a cold laugh. "So why should I care whether you're happy?"

His long fingers clamped around her chin. He raised the medicine and poured it into her cherry-red mouth. Mei Zun's eyes widened. She fought back with all her strength, and in an instant, a bloody scratch appeared on Lou Su's face.

Ignoring the blood, he pinned down her hands and kept forcing the medicine into her. Mei Zun saw the madness in his eyes.

[Reading Guide]

1. Old-school melodrama. The male lead is completely unhinged, the female lead has someone else in her heart, and his obsession drives him to seize her by any means.

2. Both leads are virgins. One-on-one romance.

3. Set in an imaginary dynasty. (This story takes place in the same era as my first novel, in the Northern Dynasty. Don't ask why I wrote it this way. I just want to tell stories about four kingdoms in one era, haha!) Please don't take the setting too seriously.

4. Some scenes are based on the characters' personalities. Please don't relate them to real life; the characters' values don't represent the author's.

5. If you've come across this and you're interested, please tap that little star to add it to your reading list!

Theme: Don't just pick up strange men on the roadside.